Government spending in the United States was last recorded at 39.7 percent of GDP in 2024 . This dataset provides - United States Government Spending To Gdp- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Net Outlays as Percent of Gross Domestic Product (FYONGDA188S) from 1929 to 2024 about outlays, Net, federal, GDP, and USA.

The ratio of government expenditure to GDP in the United States stood at about 37.59 percent in 2024. From 2001 to 2024, the ratio rose by approximately 4.79 percentage points, though the increase followed an uneven trajectory rather than a consistent upward trend. Between 2024 and 2030, the ratio will rise by around 0.27 percentage points, showing an overall upward trend with periodic ups and downs.Shown here is the general government expenditure as a share of the national gross domestic product. As defined by the International Monetary Fund, the general government expenditure consists of total expense and the net acquisition of nonfinancial assets. The gross domestic product represents the total value of final goods and services produced during a year.

Graph and download economic data for Federal Government: Current Expenditures (FGEXPND) from Q1 1947 to Q2 2025 about expenditures, federal, government, GDP, and USA.

Graph and download economic data for Shares of gross domestic product: Government consumption expenditures and gross investment: Federal: National defense (A824RE1Q156NBEA) from Q1 1947 to Q2 2025 about Shares of GDP, defense, investment, gross, consumption expenditures, federal, consumption, government, GDP, and USA.

The United States recorded a Government Budget deficit equal to 6.40 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product in 2024. This dataset provides - United States Government Budget - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

View quarterly updates and historical trends for US Federal Government Spending. from United States. Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis. Track economic d…

Graph and download economic data for State and Local Government Current Expenditures (SLEXPND) from Q1 1947 to Q2 2025 about state & local, expenditures, government, GDP, and USA.

Actual value and historical data chart for United States Public Spending On Education Total Percent Of GDP

United States US: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data was reported at 22.500 % in 2014. This records a decrease from the previous number of 22.657 % for 2013. United States US: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data is updated yearly, averaging 22.810 % from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2014, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 24.341 % in 2010 and a record low of 22.500 % in 2014. United States US: Government Expenditure per Student: Secondary: % of(GDP) Gross Domestic Productper Capita data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Education Statistics. Government expenditure per student is the average general government expenditure (current, capital, and transfers) per student in the given level of education, expressed as a percentage of GDP per capita.; ; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.; Median;

In 2023, U.S. national health expenditure as a share of its gross domestic product (GDP) reached 17.6 percent, this was an increase on the previous year. The United States has the highest health spending based on GDP share among developed countries. Both public and private health spending in the U.S. is much higher than other developed countries. Why the U.S. pays so much moreWhile private health spending in Canada stays at around three percent and in Germany under two percent of the gross domestic product, it is nearly nine percent in the United States. Another reason for high costs can be found in physicians’ salaries, which are much higher in the U.S. than in other wealthy countries. A general practitioner in the U.S. earns nearly twice as much as the average physician in other high-income countries. Additionally, medicine spending per capita is also significantly higher in the United States. Finally, inflated health care administration costs are another of the predominant factors which make health care spending in the U.S. out of proportion. It is important to state that Americans do not pay more because they have a higher health care utilization, but mainly because of higher prices. Expected developmentsBy 2031, it is expected that health care spending in the U.S. will reach nearly one fifth of the nation’s gross domestic product. Or in dollar-terms, health care expenditures will accumulate to about seven trillion U.S. dollars in total.

Graph and download economic data for Federal government total expenditures (W019RCQ027SBEA) from Q3 1959 to Q2 2025 about expenditures, federal, government, GDP, and USA.

In 2024, the budget balance in relation to the gross domestic product (GDP) in the United States amounted to -8.03 percent. Between 2001 and 2024, the figure dropped by 7.49 percentage points, though the decline followed an uneven course rather than a steady trajectory. From 2024 to 2030, the budget balance will rise by 0.44 percentage points, showing an overall upward trend with periodic ups and downs.The indicator describes the general government net lending / borrowing, which is calculated as revenue minus total expenditure. The International Monetary Fund defines the general government expenditure as consisting of total expenses and the net acquisition of nonfinancial assets. The general government revenue consists of the revenue from taxes, social contributions, grants receivable, and other revenue.

United States US: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of GDP data was reported at 4.989 % in 2014. This records an increase from the previous number of 4.944 % for 2013. United States US: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 5.195 % from Dec 2010 (Median) to 2014, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 5.420 % in 2010 and a record low of 4.944 % in 2013. United States US: Government Expenditure on Education: Total: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Education Statistics. General government expenditure on education (current, capital, and transfers) is expressed as a percentage of GDP. It includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to government. General government usually refers to local, regional and central governments.; ; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Institute for Statistics.; Median;

United States US: GDP: Growth: Final Consumption Expenditure: General Government data was reported at 0.968 % in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.332 % for 2015. United States US: GDP: Growth: Final Consumption Expenditure: General Government data is updated yearly, averaging 1.566 % from Dec 1971 (Median) to 2016, with 46 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.928 % in 1985 and a record low of -2.654 % in 2011. United States US: GDP: Growth: Final Consumption Expenditure: General Government data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.World Bank.WDI: Gross Domestic Product: Annual Growth Rate. Annual percentage growth of general government final consumption expenditure based on constant local currency. Aggregates are based on constant 2010 U.S. dollars. General government final consumption expenditure (general government consumption) includes all government current expenditures for purchases of goods and services (including compensation of employees). It also includes most expenditures on national defense and security, but excludes government military expenditures that are part of government capital formation.; ; World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files.; Weighted average;

United States US: GDP: USD: Final Consumption Expenditure: General Government data was reported at 2,658.088 USD bn in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 2,610.800 USD bn for 2015. United States US: GDP: USD: Final Consumption Expenditure: General Government data is updated yearly, averaging 819.773 USD bn from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,658.088 USD bn in 2016 and a record low of 85.000 USD bn in 1960. United States US: GDP: USD: Final Consumption Expenditure: General Government data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s USA – Table US.World Bank: Gross Domestic Product: Nominal. General government final consumption expenditure (formerly general government consumption) includes all government current expenditures for purchases of goods and services (including compensation of employees). It also includes most expenditures on national defense and security, but excludes government military expenditures that are part of government capital formation. Data are in current U.S. dollars.; ; World Bank national accounts data, and OECD National Accounts data files.; Gap-filled total;

In 2023, the U.S. government had a budget deficit of 1.69 trillion U.S. dollars. This is compared to 2000, when the government had a budget surplus of 0.24 trillion U.S. dollars.

U.S. Government budget

The government budget is a financial statement that demonstrates the government’s suggested revenues and spending for the financial year. Budget surpluses occur when income exceeds expenditures. Budget deficits occur when spending exceeds income. The budget balance of the U.S. government has fluctuated since 2016, and is expected to decrease slightly by 2026.

Military spending

Defense outlays in the United States amounted to 714 billion U.S. dollars in 2020. It is expected to continue to increase over the next several years. The United States currently has the largest defense budget in the world, and is the largest employer in the world. The military budget funds the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force. The amount of funding that goes towards the Department of Defense is heavily criticized by Democrats in the United States, because they believe that the funding should be more evenly distributed towards other social welfare programs such as public health insurance and education.

U.S. Public Debt vs. GDP

Trends and Comparisons

By Charlie Hutcheson [source]

About this dataset

This dataset contains quarterly data on the US Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Total Public Debt from 1947 through 2020. It provides a comprehensive view into the development of debt versus GDP over the years, offering insights into how our economy has grown and changed since The Great Depression. Explore this valuable information to answer questions such as: How do debt and GDP relate to one another? Has US government spending been outpacing wealth throughout history? From what sources does our national debt originate? This dataset can be utilized by economists, governments, researchers, investors, financial institutions, journalists — anyone looking to gain a better understanding of where our economy stands today compared to past decades

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How to use the dataset

This dataset, U.S. GDP vs Debt Over Time, contains quarterly data on the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Total Public Debt of the United States between 1947 to 2020. This can be useful for conducting research into how the total public debt relates to economic growth in the US.

The dataset includes 4 columns: Quarter , Gross Domestic Product ($mil), Total Public Debt ($mil). The Quarter column consists of strings that represent each quarter from 1947-2020 with a corresponding number (e.g., “Q1-1947”). The Gross Domestic Product ($mil) and Total Public Debt ($mil) columns consist of numbers that indicate the respective amounts in millions for each quarter during this same time period.

By analyzing this dataset you can explore various trends over different periods as it relates to public debt versus economic growth in America and make informed decisions about how certain policies may affect future outcomes. Additionally, you could also compare these two values with other variables such as unemployment rate or inflation rate to gain deeper insights into America’s economy over time

Research Ideas

• Comparing the quarterly growth in GDP with public debt to show the correlation between economic growth and government spending.
• Creating a bar or line visualization that compares the US’s total public debt to comparable economic powers like China, Japan, and Europe over time.
• Examining how changes in government deficit have contributed towards an increase in public debt by analyzing which quarters saw significant leaps of growth from one year to the next

Acknowledgements

If you use this dataset in your research, please credit the original authors. Data Source

License

License: Dataset copyright by authors - You are free to: - Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially. - Adapt - remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially. - You must: - Give appropriate credit - Provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. - ShareAlike - You must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original. - Keep intact - all notices that refer to this license, including copyright notices.

Columns

File: US GDP vs Debt.csv | Column name | Description | |:----------------------------------|:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Quarter | The quarter of the year in which the data was collected. (String) | | Gross Domestic Product ($mil) | The total value of all goods and services produced by the US in a given quarter. (Integer) | | Total Public Debt ($mil) | The total amount owed by the federal government. (Integer) |

Acknowledgements

If you use this dataset in your research, please credit the original authors. If you use this dataset in your research, please credit Charlie Hutcheson.

Defense outlays in the United States reached three percent of the GDP in 2024. This amounted to a total value of about 855 billion U.S. dollars. The share of this expenditure was expected to decrease to 2.4 percent of U.S. GDP by 2035.

United States US: GDP: saar: Government Consumption Expenditure data was reported at 2,655.200 USD bn in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 2,604.930 USD bn for 2015. United States US: GDP: saar: Government Consumption Expenditure data is updated yearly, averaging 568.150 USD bn from Dec 1948 (Median) to 2016, with 69 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,655.200 USD bn in 2016 and a record low of 33.475 USD bn in 1948. United States US: GDP: saar: Government Consumption Expenditure data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by International Monetary Fund. The data is categorized under Global Database’s United States – Table US.IMF.IFS: Gross Domestic Product: by Expenditure: Seasonally Adjusted: Annual.